🔍 The Subject That Baffles Every Parent
You’ve been confidently helping with maths and English homework all year. Then you open an 11+ practice paper and see “non-verbal reasoning” for the first time. Strange shapes, rotating patterns, and sequences that make no sense at all.
You stare at the page feeling completely lost. How are you supposed to help your child with something that looks like an alien puzzle?
This frustration hits every parent preparing for the 11+. Non-verbal reasoning feels impossible because it’s unlike anything you remember from school, and your child has never seen it either.
The good news? Non-verbal reasoning follows logical rules once you understand the patterns. Children often find it easier than parents expect because they approach visual puzzles without overthinking the complexity.
What is non-verbal reasoning?
Non-verbal reasoning involves analysing visual information and solving problems using shapes, diagrams and pictures. This is different from verbal reasoning, which involves analysing written information.
Non-verbal reasoning tests several skills:
🎯 Key Skills Tested
Logic & Problem-Solving
Working through visual problems step-by-step
Spatial Awareness
Understanding how shapes move and transform
Pattern Recognition
Spotting logical sequences and rules
Non-verbal reasoning questions can be confusing to those who have never come across them before. Getting familiar with basic problem-solving and question types will help your child tackle non-verbal reasoning successfully.
Which exams test it?
Non-verbal reasoning is common in school entrance exams. These exam boards all include non-verbal reasoning:
📋 Main Exam Providers
🎯 GL Assessment
Used by most UK grammar schools
Paper-based test. Schools choose whether to include non-verbal reasoning in a specific paper or combined with other subjects.
🎓 ISEB Common Pre-Test
Common exam for 11+ or 13+ independent school entry
25-minute non-verbal reasoning section. Computer-based and adaptive (questions become more challenging based on performance).
💻 CAT4
Independent school entrance exam or Year 7 streaming test
Tests figure classification, analysis, recognition, and matrices. Usually computer-based, non-adaptive questions.
🔍 Cambridge Select Insight
Used by some independent schools for shortlisting
Each question contains 8 pictures and one missing picture. Children select from four options to complete the set.
Question types
Non-verbal reasoning questions fall into two main categories: interpreting shapes and manipulating 2D and 3D shapes.
📝 Interpreting Shapes
🔗 Pairing Shapes
Two pairs of images (one complete, one incomplete). Figure out the rule that changes the first image into the second, then apply it to complete the missing pair.
🔢 Sequences
Incomplete sequence of images. Choose the option that completes the gap in the sequence.
⬜ Matrices
Grid with one piece missing. Select the image that correctly completes the matrix based on the pattern.
🔐 Find a Code
Images linked to two-letter or three-letter codes. Each letter represents one feature. Work out what each letter represents.
❌ Odd One Out
Find the image that doesn’t fit with the rest of the group.
👥 Match to Group
Choose the option which has the most in common with a group or pair of images.
🔄 Manipulating 2D Shapes
🔍 Parts Within Shapes
Find an image hidden within a complex shape. Three types: which shape is hidden, which is not in the group, which group contains the hidden shape.
🧩 Shape Logic
Three types: combining shapes, forming a shape, forming a silhouette.
🔄 Rotations and Reflections
Work out what a shape would look like if rotated or reflected. Check all elements have been transformed the same way.
📄 Following Folds
Paper folded with shapes cut out. Choose what the paper looks like when unfolded.
📦 Manipulating 3D Shapes
📐 Nets and Cubes
2D net shown, work out what it looks like folded into a cube.
🔄 Rotating 3D Shapes
Choose which image shows the rotation of a 3D shape.
🧱 Combining 3D Shapes
Select blocks that combine to make a 3D shape. Three types: fully visible, partially hidden, obscured.
🔍 3D Shapes From Above
Choose the 2D plan showing what the 3D shape looks like from above.
Example questions
🎯 Worked Examples
🔢 Sequences
Question: Which pattern completes the sequence?
Answer: Option C – the shape rotates one-fifth clockwise each time.
Tip: Focus on one feature at a time: shading, direction, or orientation.
📄 Following Folds
Question: What would this folded paper look like when opened?
Answer: A – it is a symmetrical reflection of the cut-out shapes.
Tip: Look for mirrored placement and distances from the fold line.
📐 Nets and Cubes
Question: Which cube can be made by this net?
Answer: Option A
Tip: Use real objects like dice or Rubik’s Cube to help visualisation. Eliminate “dud” cubes showing shapes not on the net.
Solving process
To tackle most non-verbal reasoning questions, follow this process:
🎯 5-Step Solving Method
1️⃣ Type
What type of question is it?
2️⃣ Analyse
Look at obvious qualities (shape, colour, pattern)
3️⃣ Compare
Find similarities and differences between shapes
4️⃣ Rule
Find a rule from these obvious qualities
5️⃣ Eliminate
Remove options that don’t follow the rule
Preparation strategies
📚 What Actually Works
✏️ Drawing
Drawing simplifies everything. When we picture many shapes in our heads, images become jumbled. Encourage your child to draw shapes out for clearer visualisation.
🎮 Make It Fun
Play Sudoku for logic and attention to detail. Lego builds shape visualisation skills. Jigsaw puzzles develop spatial awareness.
🔄 Consistency
A little bit every day goes a long way. Repetition makes these exercises second nature. Much easier than cramming into long last-minute sessions.
⏸️ Study Breaks
Break every 30 minutes improves productivity. Children come back refreshed and ready for challenges. Reward hard work afterwards.
💡 Remember
Don’t be disheartened if it takes time. Non-verbal reasoning isn’t taught in the national curriculum, so your child is learning completely new skills. Practice makes perfect, and the more questions completed, the faster they become.
What progress looks like
📈 Progress Indicators
👁️ Early Stages
Starts noticing patterns and describing what they see in shapes and sequences
🔍 Building Skills
Identifies simple rotations and reflections, spots obvious patterns
🎯 Developing Strategy
Uses the 5-step process for complex patterns and transformations
⚡ Exam Ready
Tackles unfamiliar question types confidently, works efficiently under time pressure
How our Cambridge tutors help
Non-verbal reasoning requires a different teaching approach than traditional school subjects. Our tutors understand that parents often feel completely lost trying to help with these visual puzzle questions.
Hugh recently completed a DPhil in Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford and holds a First-Class MSci in Theoretical Physics from Imperial College London. With over a decade of tutoring experience, Hugh has a unique ability to break down spatial reasoning concepts and help children visualise pattern transformations systematically.
Mark achieved a Double First in History from Cambridge and has over 3,000 hours of tutoring experience. He’s guided students through entrance exams for leading schools including Eton, Harrow, Winchester, and St Paul’s. Mark excels at helping children approach visual reasoning with confidence and logical thinking.
Wynn holds a First Class degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge and works extensively with 11+ entrance exams. He helps students develop the 5-step solving process, making complex visual relationships clear and manageable.
Our tutors don’t just teach non-verbal reasoning techniques. They help children develop the spatial thinking and logical reasoning skills that serve them well across all subjects.
Ready to master visual patterns?
Our Cambridge-educated tutors specialise in making non-verbal reasoning accessible for children starting from scratch. We understand the time pressure families face and know exactly how to build both visual reasoning skills and exam confidence efficiently.
Every consultation begins with understanding exactly where your child stands with pattern recognition, then creating a focused plan that makes the best use of your preparation time.
Book Your Free Strategy Session
Discover exactly how to help your child master visual patterns, with a clear action plan you can start using immediately.
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